The prize dedicated to Roberto Morrione is one section of the Ilaria Alpi Journalism Television Awards (a contest organised for television journalists who cover topics and inquiries involving civil and social interests, such as solidarity, non-violence, justice and human rights), and subsidises the production of investigative video projects on the subjects of national and international news sections relevant to Italy’s social or cultural political life, including:

the existence and activity of secret or clandestine organisations with subversive or terrorist plans;

the violation of human rights.

After the success of the first edition with more than 90 participating projects, this second edition, which was previewed on Sunday October 7, 2012, at the Internazionale Festival held each year in Ferrara, in north-east Italy, will see several changes: the first and most important is that the competition this year will be aimed at young people below the age of 30. From this year onwards, the age limit of participants has been thus lowered from 35 to 30 with the intention of giving young journalists a new opportunity for training and assisting in investigative production.

In keeping with the legacy left behind by Roberto Morrione, the Prize also aims to be an opportunity of training for the three finalists, who as well as being followed by a tutor (this year it will be a professionally trained member of staff, who will also provide technical support and legal advice to the winners), they will also have the opportunity to participate in specialised training sessions.

Investigative journalism, in Italy and in Europe, had one of its best and brightest exponents in Roberto Morrione, a journalist for several news programmes for the RAI Corporation (assistant director of Tg1 and Tg2, as well as being an associate of Tg3, for which he endorsed editorials and investigations into the mafia), founder of RaiNews24, president of Italian online news channel Libera Informazione and, for many years, a member of the “Ilaria Alpi Prize” Jury, which currently represents one of the most important moments of reflection and debate regarding televised investigative journalism at an international level.

Having passed away last year, following a life spent fighting for courageous, accurate, innovative and social information, Roberto always paid close attention to the training of young, budding journalists: it was decided on account of this that the Morrione Prize be targeted at the under 30s.

The results will have been announced by 31 January 2013 during an event called “Il buon giornalista d’inchiesta è per sua natura un discesista” (The talented investigative journalist is by nature a thrill-seeker), at which the members of the Italian committee for the European Campaign for Media Pluralism will be in attendance, along with its Spokesperson Tana de Zulueta and other representatives of the European Organising Committee.

The award ceremony reception will be hosted by Marino Sinibaldi (Director of Rai RadioTre), and will be attended by Giuseppe Giulietti (Spokesperson for the Italian Media Freedom Association and Information portal “Articolo 21”), Marcella Sansoni (Chair of the “Roberto Morrione Prize” Jury) and the tutors of the three finalist projects Sandro Provvisionato, Flavio Fusi e Flaviano Masella, together with the authors.